CWE Gets New Yorkers Counted

CWE organizers are helping workers participate in the census, through calls, texts, and online.

The COVID-19 shutdown hit just as New York’s community organizations were launching campaigns to get residents counted in the 2020 census. Despite these headwinds, a complete count remains essential for each New York community to get their fair share of federal funding and full political representation. CWE has shifted from planned in-person outreach to phone and text banks, and other online outreach to make sure the New Yorkers who are usually undercounted in the census are able to make their voices heard.
 
So far, CWE-CLC Workers Count2020, a partnership between CWE and the New York City Central Labor Council, has reached 25,000 New Yorkers by phone. Among these were 14,000 calls in Brooklyn, which is historically New York’s hardest-to-count borough. CWE outreach organizers have dedicated 600 hours to this effort.
 
Organizers are also giving census presentations to online classes at CWE partners, like the ESL classes at New York Communities for Change mentioned above.
 
“Our census outreach efforts are more important than ever,” says Darly Corniel, Education Director at the Consortium for Worker Education. “The pandemic has affected the most vulnerable communities, exposing the abysmal inequality in our city. These same communities are the one at risk of not being counted and therefore being deprived of most needed funds and resources. We have an unwavering responsibility to get these New Yorkers counted.”

You can empower workers in NYC today. Sign the Labor Counts pledge and get counted in the 2020 Census, Visit: www.LaborCounts2020.org